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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: trunk · craft · scale · coach · pitch · band · hand · temple

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. craft — boats
  3. band — a music group
  4. hand — in cards
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. band — a ring
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. scale — size or range
  9. pitch — completely
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. craft — a skill
  16. scale — in music
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. hand — help
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. pitch — a sports field

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com